Parallel Universe
by Jacqueline King
Summary: Sora and Roxas hold a party to have their different friends meet. Riku finds a strange draw towards the mysterious Demyx, only to find they have more in common than he'd thought. If only they were in a parallel universe. Pairings listed inside.


**Author's Ramble: **Okay, so there are many, many pairings in this. In fact, it gets very confusing. Main ones you care about, AkuRoku, Demyx/Riku, Sora/Riku (longing, mostly), and Kairi/Sora. This story's mostly about Riku and Demyx's response to the other couple's relationships. Or at least, that's how the pairings go. See, I could not fit that in the summary box. Sorry this one's not amazingly cutsie either... but hey, I think you'll find the games interesting.

Special thanks to my friend Lucia who read this to help me make sure that it was actually not complete rubbish. I'd been working on it for hours and didn't know if it made sense. She doesn't know the characters or reference, but to her it made sense so... YAY!

**Disclaimers: **I do not own the Chicken Dance, Queen's song Bicycle Race, Home on the Range, the Time Warp! from Rocky Horror Picture Show, or any of the amazing characters that are about to make you go crazy as they play lame party games. (Which I also do not own. But Kairi does. XD)

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"First ones to arrive, how did I guess?" came a snide voice from behind Sora when he answered the door for the small group of people on the other side. The group before the brunette was a taller blonde with spiky hair and a knack for camouflage, a short and chubby, black-haired kid with a good-natured smile, and a skinny girl with dark hair and a sweet face. They all peered in over Sora's shoulder to see who was speaking.

Sora rolled his eyes and threw open the door in welcome to his home on the main island of Destiny Isles. The house was very cozy inside and out, with its pastel colors that all reflected the oceanic setting. Leaning against the whitewashed stair railing was a tall, muscular boy of about sixteen who was smirking up a storm at the troop of friends walking in through the front door. "Oh, shut up Riku," Sora said back, giving his friend a punch in the arm. "You've been here _all day. _Don't act like you're one to be "fashionably late"." Riku laughed and pulled Sora into a playful chokehold and gave him a noogie. The blonde and dark haired boy raised their eyebrows.

"What are you two doing?" came a voice from upstairs. The three guests were looking around confusedly when they all broke into smiles at the sight of _their _friend at the top of the stairs. Roxas came sliding down the rail, making Riku and Sora jump to avoid being landed on. The blonde boy, who looked almost identical to Sora, grinned at them, royal blue eyes that he shared with his brother twinkling. "Serves you right for not being polite hosts," he scorned before turning to the others. "Olette, Hayner, Pence, this is my brother, Sora and his friend Riku," Roxas introduced. It was the first time Roxas's friends had met his twin brother. Sora and Roxas had been going to different schools since the second grade, in which Roxas had been accepted to a private school in a far-off world. He would often brag about being taught in a castle and meeting new and diverse people. Sora, on the other hand, had stayed in Destiny Isles with his friends he'd always grown up with.

But this summer, they'd decided to have a party where they could meet up with all the people they were befriending from different worlds and schools. Sora was always slightly jealous of Roxas's ability to see so many things, but it never fazed him too much when he thought about all his friends back here at the islands.

Roxas had been talking very animatedly about two sets of friends he'd invited to the get-together. One was of kids his of own age that he met in Twilight Town (the city he often visited when he was not in school at Castle Oblivion), and the other made up of some older students whom he'd befriended early on in his last semester.

Riku smiled at the three outsiders and stepped forward languidly, his shaggy hair falling into his shockingly aquamarine eyes. "Ah, c'mon I wasn't trying to scare 'em," he laughed and held out a hand to the blonde, Hayner. Hayner regarded the silver haired boy carefully before giving his hand a stiff shake.

Sora bustled forward in a friendly manner. "I've heard tons about you guys! It's great to actually meet you! Come on up to the den, we've got some ice cream. I made sure to get some." At the mention of ice cream, all four sets of eyes (including Roxas's) lit up and they hurried upstairs to the south facing room. Its broad windows showed a beautiful view of the ocean and play island Sora and his friends still visited often.

Riku, however, stayed downstairs to see who else was coming to the party. Sora had told him that Roxas had a lot of friends, and he might find someone he liked. Ever since Sora had begun to date their friend Kairi, he'd begun to feel an emptiness that wasn't there before. He had never been able to admit why the emptiness had started up then. When he had, he wished he'd never discovered why he was jealous of them.

The teenager was curious about these people from other worlds. The first group had been a sorry disappointment. The girl looked as if she would never date in her life. He remembered the blonde girl who had moved away when Roxas was accepted to school. She had been the only other person from their world asked to attend Castle Oblivion, and her whole family had picked up and moved for her. Riku had always liked her. Roxas was still friends with her, but he wasn't sure if she was coming tonight.

It wasn't long before Wakka, Tidus and Selphie let themselves in through the back door. They were carrying pineapple, ice cream, ginger snaps and other assorted goodies to be eating all night long. "Can't wait to see who Roxas dragged in," Wakka boomed in his usually obnoxious voice. "Didn't Sora say that he's got a_boyfriend?_"

"Shut up Wakka," Riku hissed while Selphie slapped her hand over the orange haired blitz ball player's mouth. "Sora was just joking around about that." In all honesty, Sora hadn't been. Riku had always been the person Sora confided in most. When Roxas got home for the summer, he'd been in such a lovesick daze and had finally told Sora why.

He had a crush on a boy three years older than him named Axel. Sora had been shocked to find out that his brother was gay, but Riku had just figured it was bound to happen sooner or later. Roxas was just that kind of guy.

But if Roxas couldn't make this whole meeting people from other worlds awkward enough, he had to invite this Axel guy and a friend of his. Riku went upstairs with Wakka, Selphie and Tidus to Sora's den. The room was large, and its furniture and walls were all made up of a pastel blue color. Roxas, Hayner, Olette and Pence were all lying on the white couch upside down with their feet in the air eating ice cream. Sora was sitting on the rug, smiling at them. Wakka laughed in his over bearing voice and dropped his grocery bag of stuff to go wrestle Roxas like he always did when seeing him again.

Tidus laughed and gave the girl named Olette a shy smile that she returned through flushed cheeks. _Oh, yeah, of course. She likes the twerp; _Riku thought angrily and fell into a beanbag in a huff.

"Did Kairi come in with you guys?" Sora asked Selphie, unable to disguise the anticipation in his voice.

"I'm here!" came an excited squeal form the still opened door to the den. The auburn haired girl was standing with a petite blonde at her side in a white dress and blue sandals. "And guess who just arrived from the gummi station!"

"Naminé!!" Roxas pushed Wakka off of him who was laughing hysterically still, and ran forward to hug both Kairi and Naminé. They hugged back, both smiling at the reunion. Naminé and Kairi had remained pen pals throughout the years, and their meeting again was one of the happiest Kairi ever remembered. Riku eyed the girl he'd just been considering once more. She did not seem as interesting as he'd let himself believe she was after all these years. She looked too shy, and the way she held herself showed no self-esteem at all. She clutched a drawing pad tightly to her chest as she came in to sit down next to Roxas on the floor. Olette slid down next to her and offered her some ice cream before starting up a conversation. Sora and Kairi smiled sweetly at each other and took hands as the sat down in two beanbags. The room had four over-stuffed beanbags, the white couch, the shaggy rug Roxas, Naminé and Olette now sat on, and a window seat for as much seating as possible for guests. There was a book shelf in the corner and a beat-up TV with an old game system that's controllers had been used so often (mostly by Riku and Sora) that the letters on the buttons had all but been smoothed out by fingers pressing down on them too fast to get the highest score. Wakka started talking to Hayner about the wonders of blitz ball. Selphie was whispering to Tidus (probably encouraging him to go talk to Olette, as he hadn't taken his eyes off of her). Pence stole another ice cream when he thought no one would notice and then began to talk nonchalantly with Sora and Kairi about something he called "the seven wonders of Twilight Town."

Riku sat off to the side in his beanbag chair, completely left out of this happy reunion and meeting of friends from different worlds and lives. He began dreaming up his ideal girl. She'd probably have blonde hair, maybe with a tint of brunette layered in. It'd be shorter, because short meant spunky and in tuned with oneself. She'd have blue green eyes, not quite as bright as his own, but warmer than his.

He was lost in his daydream, when the doorbell rang and Roxas flew out of the room to everyone's giggles.

Everybody knew who was coming, and why Roxas was so quick to make sure they came in quickly.

"All right, Wakka, no wrestling or loud guffawing," Sora ordered in a hurried, quiet voice. He'd promised Roxas that this would go well. "Naminé, don't talk about your Final Fantasy fan-fiction." (A few raised eyebrows. Hayner looked mildly interested. Pence choked on his ice cream rather gracefully.) "Selphie, don't ask him a ton of questions. And Riku…" The way Sora trailed off made everyone cringe and look at the silver haired boy who glared back in response. "Just… don't make any raucous comments, please?"

Riku turned away, offended. What, did everyone expect him to be a homophobe? He didn't wince when Roxas hugged him when Sora's twin had come back for the vacation. Why did they all assume he'd have an issue with it?

Fact was, he could relate to Roxas. Not that he was going to tell anybody about that.

There were people coming up the stairs now. Everyone tried to look casual with their eyes glued to the door. It opened, and Roxas came in followed by two tall, older teens dressed in all black.

Riku had to do a double take.

The one to Roxas's left was the person he'd just been dreaming of. A slightly angular face, warm green-blue eyes, short, dirty blonde hair and a look of shyness that only came because they weren't with their usual crowd. It was everything he'd been dreaming of for years. But there was one set back.

It was a guy.

Before Riku could tell himself not to fall for a guy (not again) his mind pleaded, _please tell me he's not the one Roxas wants._

"Hey guys, this is Axel," Roxas said, fidgeting subconsciously as he motioned to the other teenager with strikingly vermilion hair that framed his pale, pointed face. There were two triangular tattoos beneath each of his bright green eyes. He reminded Riku of a panther, and it sent a shiver down his spine however much he was relieved that it was not the other boy Roxas had fallen for. He was still trying to process the appearance of the other character to Roxas's left.

"And this is Demyx." Demyx gave a wave of a hand, showing off the numerous wristbands and rings he wore. Slung across his back was what appeared to be a guitar case. Axel was eyeing the crowd with a smirk that didn't even compare to Riku's. Everyone was more than shocked.

The first to recover was Sora, who jumped up in a manner much more lively than his brother and waved at the two with a wide grin on his face. "I'm Sora, the twin." Everyone else took their chance to introduce themselves to the strangers, at first a bit hesitant until Wakka said stupidly, "You guys ever see the sun?"

Demyx and Axel exchanged looks and burst out laughing. They were pretty pale, and the black coats they wore down to their ankles didn't help their complexion much. Axel slipped lithely to the window and leaned against the frame. It was as if he'd melted into the room, relaxed at being the only true threat.

"What, Roxas hasn't told you that they keep us chained in cages?" Axel laughed. Roxas seemed like his face was going to boil off it was so red before he sat down next to Naminé again. Demyx had slipped over to the corner of the room where Riku was sitting and somehow managed to sit in a beanbag chair without looking like his butt was going to fall through the floor. The others finished up their names until it came to Riku.

"Riku," he said loudly as Demyx's eyes flashed over to the silver haired boy. He seemed to be surveying him thoughtfully before his gaze flickered to Axel who was smirking again. Riku felt like something heavy had just dropped into his stomach as they exchanged looks. Axel walked over casually to the group and leaned against the couch.

"So, we thought we'd all have some fun with a few party games!" Kairi interjected before people could break into casual smaller conversations. Riku silently cursed her. He wanted to talk to this Demyx. He was so confused as to why he felt an attraction towards a_guy. Don't do this to yourself again, Riku, _he tried to tell himself to no avail._ Especially this guy. _Kairi pulled out an empty cream soda bottle, and a hat filled with little pieces of paper. She loved doing group activities, even though it'd have been better if people had been allowed to drift and meet the others on their own. There was no getting to her. "Everybody sit in a circle!"

Riku took a quick glimpse of Demyx's profile as they slid onto the rug next to one another. He was looking rather like he'd have preferred just talking as well. They both smiled at one another knowingly._There's one thing in common already,_ Riku thought, even though the other half of his mind was telling him he'd gone off the deep end. _We both understand how crazy girls like Kairi can be. _

Axel sat down next to Roxas. Riku couldn't help but notice the way their hands brushed and their legs touched in a way that appeared unintentional. Sora looked like he was about to chew his lips off with nervousness. He didn't like that guy being so close to his brother.

"Okay!" Kairi started with a clap of her hands. "What we do is someone spins the bottle, and whoever it lands on has to pick out one of these slips of paper. They have to do whatever it says. Got it? After the person does what's on the slip, they spin the bottle and the process repeats! Who wants to start?"

"I'll give it a go." The blonde named Hayner was giving Roxas a knowing sneer as he leaned down and gave the bottle a hard spin. It rolled to a stop directly on Olette.

Everyone "ooo"ed as she pulled out a slip with a reluctant smile. She read aloud: "Spin the bottle again. Whoever it lands on must do the chicken dance with you and sing _Bicycle Race _at the top of their lungs."

The room burst into a roar of laughter. Riku was imagining Axel having to do that, and prayed to god it landed on the red haired teen. Olette was looking like she was very tired of being dragged into things like this as she spun the bottle once more. It landed on Roxas.

They got up, grinned at each other and began screeching about wanting to ride their bicycles as they flapped their arms and spun around. Sora was crying he was laughing so hard that Wakka began to cheer. Tidus was trying not to laugh too much, probably because he didn't want her to think he was laughing at Olette. Naminé and Kairi were covering their faces so no one could see them laughing as hard as they were. Axel smirked, but his eyes weren't on Olette. He stared at Roxas the whole time, and Riku felt a bit of aggressive defensiveness kick in. The way he was looking at Roxas was like a pet. Demyx was laughing too, and this distracted Riku from his thoughts of telling Axel to leave Roxas alone. It was a startling contrast to Demyx's demeanor. While he seemed indifferent and amused, his laugh was full of a life Riku wanted to know more about. At the sound Riku couldn't help but laugh too. Sora was the only one not laughing; he was staring at the floor, humiliated for his brother and the way his crush was staring at him.

By the end of the first verse, Kairi gasped through her giggling, "Okay, stop before you guys give us an aneurysm!" Roxas and Olette stopped, grinned at each other and high-fived before sitting down. They knew how to have fun. "Roxas, you spin."

Roxas spun, and this time it landed on Wakka. "Aw, man this sucks." Wakka leaned over and pulled out a slip. He read it silently and laughed loudly as he stood up. Everyone started bugging him to tell them what it was. Despite the awkward way the game had started, after Roxas and Olette had sat down it felt as if the thirteen teens were all comfortable with one another. "I have to make a daring love confession to a person of the same gender in a cowboy accent," Wakka read off the piece of paper again. Riku was surprised the neighbors down the street weren't shaken rudely from their dinner by the roar of laughter that followed this statement.

Wakka turned to Tidus, who turned brick red as Wakka fell to his knees and screamed in a southern voice, "I CAIN'T GET ENOUGH OF YA'LL!"

Sora was leaning against his brother, his face buried in his twin's neck he was laughing so hard. Demyx had pulled out the guitar from his case while no one seemed to be paying any attention. It was a strange instrument to see him playing. It was longer than an average guitar and was bright blue. He was strumming out the tune _Home on the Range _to the applause of the numerous friends who weren't laughing so hard that they couldn't hear over their hysterics.

Wakka, always a good sport, stood up, bowed and gave Tidus's blond hair a playful ruffle before sitting back down in his appropriate spot. Riku had, after seeing Wakka's tear-wrenching confession, kept his eyes on Demyx. Demyx changed songs with a fluency that baffled the silver-haired islander. It was a string of cords that he recognized in the back of his head, but couldn't quite put a finger on. He then realized that he was staring, and he wasn't the only one. Selphie was all but drooling at the guitarist. Riku felt a pang of anger shoot through him as he caught this sight in his peripheral. Selphie could be a slut sometimes.

But it was Riku that was graced with a smile when he stopped playing and looked back up at the crowded room. Riku gave a replying smile back.

The game continued with more embarrassing deeds, confessions and utter nonsense. Naminé had to dance the Time Warp. Pence had to tell about his first wet dream (which was rather humiliating, but made everyone laugh and confess their first ones too. At least, everyone but the girls, Roxas, Axel, Riku and Demyx).

Finally the bottle landed on Demyx. He had been rather quiet the whole time, only speaking when addressed to. Riku found his voice was just as interesting as the rest of him. It sounded like he wanted to be happy and have a good time, but there was something holding him back. Riku found that his eyes were always nervously flickering to Axel. He pulled out a slip and read, "Tell the person directly to your right one of your darkest secrets."

Everyone came in with his or her cued "ooohs" as Riku felt his stomach do a flip. He was to the right of the thoughtful musician. Finally, after another glance at Axel (who looked rather angry to Riku) Demyx leaned forward and cupped his hands around Riku's ear. He whispered, "I hate Roxas."

That was _not _what Riku had been expecting. He'd been hoping for a "I wanna see you with your clothes off", but of course there was no way that was going to happen with his luck. But when Demyx slid back into his spot, his eyes were no longer shining with detached amusement. He looked bitter, and his eyes avoided Roxas and Axel who had only seemed to inch closer towards one another throughout the game.

"Oh my gosh," Kairi gasped as the awkward silence kicked in. "Look at the time! It's almost midnight! Guys staying over here tonight, right Sora?"

Sora gave a nod. "You still want to have the girls over at your place?"

"So long as they want to." Naminé, Olette and Selphie all gave a nod and stood up slowly. They'd been there for hours. Everyone else stood up and said good night to the four girls before they headed out. Even before the door closed, Riku could hear them giggling.

"Axel, Roxas, you guys want to roll out the sleeping bags up in the den?" Sora suggested once they were gone. "Me and Tidus will get snacks. Wakka's going over to his place quick to grab some movies he said we needed to check out." Pence and Hayner weren't staying over for the night cause of an issue with their parents, so Riku was left to figure out something to do that didn't involve staring at Demyx. They were still sitting in the hall with the stairs after the girls had left.

"I'm gonna see if they need any help," Demyx mumbled, shuffling off. He looked awkward without his guitar to Riku. Riku glanced at the stairs, and then slowly headed up them. He figured he'd help with the sleeping bags. Maybe learn more about this Axel guy. When he came to the door, however, he found it almost completely closed. He peered through the crack as he heard a heated conversation.

"Axel, no. There's no way that could work without someone figuring it out. Plus, it'd just be weird to wake up in the morning with them wondering where we are… not to mention if and when they'd find us!"

"So? They already don't like me. Let them hate me more. Why does it matter so much to you? This is the only time I'm going to see you before… before the superior sends me out again. It could be a _long_time, Roxas."

"Yeah, well, I didn't ask you to do that when I had to leave for a mission last time. I knew I wouldn't be back for months, but I didn't force anything on you."

"Is this all because you're still a virgin?"

"How can you say that? I thought I meant more to you than just a good bang!"

"I do…"

Riku saw the dark shape of Axel's feline like body advance on the boy. He blocked Roxas from view as he wrapped his arms around the younger's thin waist. A small gasp came from the form Axel cradled. Riku's voice was lodged somewhere between his Adam's apple and his chin, his eyes unable to look away.

"Yeah but… W-what about…ngh… Demyx?" Roxas's argument was getting weaker.

"Who cares about Demyx? I want you…"

There was a soft moan, and Riku's eyes widened.

"It's not nice to eavesdrop."

Riku could have sworn his heart popped out of his chest right then and there. He nearly let out a shout of surprise as someone grabbed him around the waist. Had they not put their hand over his mouth, he would have. He was dragged away, unable to see who was hauling him with a strangely powerful grip. He could tell that his captor was dragging him down the hall towards the door to the deck. He could find his way around Sora's house with a blindfold. A sliding glass door opened and Riku was thrown outside. He fell to the ground, hitting his shoulder hard on the wood. The door was closed once more. Gingerly, he stood up to face Demyx whose expression was hard as ice.

In the back of his mind, Riku complimented Demyx's ability to realize no one would find them out here. Not when it was this dark and the hallway lamp reflected so badly in the glass door that you couldn't see out into the darkness.

"Leave them alone. They don't need any of you kids messing with their_sentimental relationship,"_the venom in Demyx's voice made Riku's skin crawl.

"Why do you hate him?" Riku finally blurted out after a long silence.

Demyx sent him a death glare. "Because he took something that was never his," he snarled.

Riku bit his lip, taken aback. He couldn't believe the façade Demyx was able to keep up in that room full of people. It was obvious he was in pain. But he'd come anyway, but not for Roxas's benefit, but because someone else asked him to. "He took Axel from you," he said. It wasn't a question.

Demyx stepped forward, a strange energy seeming to form around him. "Why does any of this matter to you? Why did you have to snoop around?"

"I…" Riku started then took a deep breath before saying in a quieter voice, "I wanted to know why you hate him."

"Well, now you know. I shouldn't have ever come here. Too much pain. Too much… everything. I can't fight for myself, or for what I want. I could never win him back, so why am I trying so hard?" Demyx was looking towards the stars, his eyes praying for an answer somewhere among the worlds that hung above him. His tone had changed. He sounded lost entirely. Finally, he looked back to Riku with a sad smile on his face. "I'm sorry I'm telling this all to you. You shouldn't have to hear about all this. It's not your problem. You're a complete stranger to me."

Riku's throat felt swollen shut. He wanted so bad to tell Demyx that he didn't want to be a stranger to him, they could become friends, and Axel wasn't worth it. But no sound was coming out. Finally he choked out, "Don't be."

Demyx looked as if he were going to go back inside, but froze at those words. He slowly turned back around as Riku neared him. "I… I know how it feels to have someone snatched away from you. How you could think so highly of someone till they're swept up in love with someone who isn't you. How you can't breathe when you're around them, because you're worried they'll hear the pain in it." Riku was speaking without being aware of what he was actually saying. He'd never told anyone about his infatuation with Sora. But… then again this wasn't just anybody. It was a stranger who'd unknowingly swept him off his feet. A stranger who'd already shared his secret pain. Why couldn't he share his?

"It took a long time, but… I had to move on. If I didn't I would rip my heart out. So I dreamed up someone perfect and believed that I could meet them one day and I'd forget about him."

Demyx raised an eyebrow and reached out to put his hand on Riku's shoulder. "You know, in a parallel universe, I'd probably be in love with you."

Riku knew that his heart was going to break again tonight.

"It's his loss, you know," Riku murmured, wishing that this were different. That this wasn't two heart broken people admitting their pain. That this was his chance to actually have a happy ending.

Demyx gave a bitter laugh.

"You can't loose what you never had."

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**Author's Plead: **I spent four hours writing and editting this... it'd be nice if you'd tell me if it was worth it or not... Please REVIEW! 


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